“I would like to appeal to all businessmen who have found themselves in a situation similar to Valeri Shoshiashvili’s during the United National Movement to contact us while there is still time,” stated Tea Tsulukiani, Chairwoman of the Commission, during the session of the temporary investigative commission to examine the activities of the regime and its political officials from 2003 to 2012.

According to her, businessmen were instructed to purchase ruins for exorbitant sums through auction processes. Tsulukiani underscored the importance of launching a comprehensive investigation into this scheme.

“Several applications have already been received, and I urge all businessmen in similar circumstances to Mr. Valeri Shoshiashvili to come forward before it’s too late. In Kakheti, where Zurab Adeishvili wielded significant influence and was regarded as a pivotal figure in the region’s development, businessmen were encouraged to purchase ruins at auctions for substantial sums—ostensibly to support regional growth—using the methods described by Shoshiashvili. Likewise, in Akhaltsikhe, Vano Merabishvili was the second-in-command. These methods involved purchasing properties at inflated prices, supposedly to benefit regional growth. However, we must consider that these funds may have been diverted for other purposes. Even if they were used for construction projects like Rabati Castle, justified by Vano Merabishvili, such methods are fundamentally unfit for building national monuments or significant objects. We need to intensify our investigation into this practice,” Tea Tsulukiani stated.

“This is the first publicly revealed example, and it is even more disturbing than the incident involving Notary Tsiuri Beridze, who failed to resist patriots as he had been ordered and registered state assets overnight,” Tsulukiani concluded.